How to Buy a Sweet Home These top-ranked real estate agents can help you find your dream crib
The pros selected for Variety’s Real Estate Elite report handle only the very high-end listings on the coasts and have managed to close record-setting deals despite high interest rates and Los Angeles’ “mansion” tax. “This is a time of opportunity for buyers. ‘Marry the house. Date the rate’…. you can always refinance later,” says Cindy Ambuehl at Christie’s Intl. Real Estate.
Trends for 2024 include hotel-like amenities. “High-end buyers want the full-service experience, so the more a property features all the amenities they’ve come to expect at the finest hotels, the more likely they are to pay above market,” says Zach Goldsmith of Compass.
Tal Alexander, Oren Alexander Official
Brothers Tal and Oren honed their considerable dealmaking skills representing clients and properties in New York and South Florida and have recently expanded their firm, Official, into additional markets such as Los Angeles, Aspen and the Bahamas. They repped the buyer in the country’s highest-priced residential purchase: the penthouse floors at 220 Central Park South ($239 million). In 2023, the Alexander Team’s annual sales volume topped $705.5 million. The siblings are in the branded condominium market, too, repping 888 Brickell in Miami, Dolce & Gabbana’s first residential tower, and the Rosewood Residences on Miami Beach.
What is the outlook like for 2024? “It has become clear that buyers who had previously put their searches on hold have now reentered the market with force,” says Tal Alexander. Oren Alexander adds his perspective: “In 2024, I expect to see a huge flight to quality while just average properties will sit on the market. I expect to see trophy properties continue to move.
The Altman Brothers Josh Altman, Matt Altman, Heather Altman Douglas Elliman
This powerhouse team — which has expanded to Orange County, San Diego and Arizona — well surpassed $1 billion in annual sales volume. The brokers sold a property in the Pacific Palisades’ Riviera enclave
for $49.44 million, set records for Encino’s two highest-priced properties at $20 million and $18.4 million, and broke the record for Encinitas’ highest-priced sale with the “Westworld” mansion. Current listings include “Full House” creator Jeff Franklin’s Cielo Estate at $59.99 million and Sugar Ray Leonard’s Pacific Palisades estate at $39.99 million. What does the luxury real estate
market look like in 2024? “The luxury real estate market will continue to be strong in 2024,” says Josh Altman. “The only difference is buyers will have a lot of options and the best locations will prevail. We also are betting on places like Newport Beach, where our new flagship Orange County office is located, as we feel that is the next major market to go through the roof.”